A Spark

Saturday, May 17, 2014

This movement came from the injustice that too many have suffered at the hands of huge corporations. In the battle for fair treatment and advancement opportunities, average workers don't have much of a chance in negotiations to better themselves. We all hear the slogans and buzz words of these companies. Words and phrases like-(we are people focused) (our people are our most important asset)(We are a family) etc etc. Yet these companies have seen profits rise to record levels and CEO pay has continued to skyrocket, while the average workers salary has remained stagnant. If workers share the struggle, we should also share in the success. One thing that has become apparent is that transparency isn't a part of these companies credo, especially when they are able to control the narrative. This carefully controlled image allows for the vale of concern and empathy for all groups of people, when the reality is far different. The purpose of this blog and the many to follow is too shed a light where companies would like to keep dark and hidden. We believe it is a matter of public concern that the people who purchase billions of dollars from these companies, should know what these companies really think of them. The people should also how these beliefs effect hiring and firing practices, earned wages, and the general hardship certain groups endure while the company promotes it's inclusiveness publicly. We will be releasing new recordings bi-weekly for the next year. We are tired of the practices promoted in the shadows from these (inclusive) companies. These recordings highlight disgusting racial bias displayed by management and employees alike toward minority groups consisting of Brazilians, African Americans, and woman who spent quite a bit on the products this company produces. Will their attitudes toward the company and their products change once they are informed of how employees are instructed to handle these minority groups?

This is The Reckoning, let the Blackout Movement begin

The initial recording we received highlights an employee at Apple speaking with a corporate team sent by Apple CEO Tim Cook. This employee made it evident that he's concerned with dealing with a Apple hiring manager because of the racism she has commented on. Then once his transfer was in her hands, she systematically cutoff communication with her superiors who spoke with this employee prior to speaking with her. Then terminated his employment altogether for frivolous reasons the employee was easily able to debunk through documentation directly proving their assumptions and allegations inaccurate. This is undeniable evidence that Apple knew of this discrimination at the CEO level and did nothing, not even acknowledge it was even said.

This recording is called "Accountability"

We can certainly verify, and authenticate the legitimacy of these recordings. In the next Blackout report, we plan on showing the type of blatant racism endured at Apple frequently. Thus illustrating the point that this company is either racist or condones racism within their company, because they were made aware of these actions even at the CEO level by a current employee and did nothing. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram, and twitter so that we can truly make this a movement.

This next recording is called "Inferior" and it highlights just how blatant racism is at Apple since this was said in front of customers and employees alike. The recording is rough since apple stores are loud, but with headphones and the words displayed you will understand.

Let the Blackout Movement begin

"Inferior"

The next recording is called "Kiss our feet" because this is what this particular Apple leader instructs other employees who asked for direction too do with Brazilian customers. This is just the tip of the iceberg as far as the racism Apple was warned of many months ago. We will keep releasing more examples of blatant racism within Apple until they decide too address this festering problem.

A shocking claim of racial discrimination has been filed against technology giant Apple and RadarOnline.com has exclusively obtained the document where the employee alleges that he was a denied a promotion based on the color of his skin.
Four-year Apple employee Andrew Dupree,
31, has come forward exclusively to Radar with the shocking
allegations, claiming that despite bringing his accusations of racism
all the way to Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, he was ignored. Now, he has taken legal action.
Dupree filed a complaint with the Florida Commission on Human
Relations and Radar has learned it is now being investigated by the
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.PHOTOS: Celebrity Racist Rants
Lashing out at the worldwide company founded by Steve Jobs,
Dupree told Radar why he filed the complaint and is going public with
his charges, despite still being employed by an Apple retail store.
“I was not given a job, despite being told that I was going to be
given a transfer, because of one manager’s racism,” he said about
what he allegedly faced. “I blew the horn as loud as humanly possible
and they did nothing. I want the focus to be on Tim Cook, Apple and
their failure to address the racism in the company. Racism that they
knew about.”
Dupree’s Charge of Discrimination form, filed on December 18, 2013, details his claims:

When I was in the Orlando Store under the Supervision of XXXXX,
Senior Manager, she had make a statement prior to me transferring to
Australia that Blacks in the Orlando location don’t have a chance to
make it to management.
I did not express my concern to management at that time because I was transferring to Australia.
Once XXXXX got involved with the transfer process I was denied a
transfer to a management or leadership position. There are no Blacks at
the Orlando Store that hold a leadership position or have opportunities
to be promoted to management position.
I believe that my upward ability at the Orlando Store is being
hindered by XXXXX intention to discriminate against Blacks who are
qualified to a hold a management position.
I believe that I am a victim of discrimination because of my Race,
Black in violation of the Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as
amended.

Apple spokeswoman Michaela Wilkinson informed Radar
on May 28 that the company had filed a response to Dupree’s claim on May
19, 2014, which Dupree says he learned about nine days later.
He subsequently contacted the EEOC and told Radar, “The senior
federal investigator informed me that that Apple responded to the charge
and sent in documents for their side. The investigator informed me
that they could not share Apple’s response with me because they were
still reviewing the response. The next step is simple. I have the option
of either letting the EEOC go forward with their investigation or
getting the right to sue and going after them in court myself.”
Dupree’s claims of racism at the corporation were first reported by BlackoutMovement.blogspot.com on May 17, 2014.
He says the ordeal all started when after working in an Orlando area Apple retail store, he transferred to a Sydney, Australia store and allegedly increased the results of the “Easy Pay Program” there.
(“Easy Pay Program” is designed to increase the amount of customers
who come into the Apple store and make purchases using their Apple
devices.)
Dupree told Radar that the program was hitting a success rate of 1.6%
of sales done via Apple devices at the Sydney store when he arrived and
less than a month after he implemented new policies, the success rate
increased to 14%.You Can Sue For That? The 53 Wackiest Lawsuits
“I did numbers myself and then I trained employees. I wrote a full
synopsis to make it a sustainable goal for entire store,” Dupree said.
After a year in Australia, Dupree wanted to return to the United
States and grow with Apple, a company he said he had always dreamed of
working for.
He claimed, “When I got the job I was told ‘You can do anything, affect the world, enrich lives.’”PHOTOS: People We Love! Hollywood’s Most Inspiring Rogues, Renegades & Rule Breakers
However, he told Radar that he ended up filing the case of racial
discrimination after allegedly being informed he would not be placed in a
management position in Orlando after his transfer, and then was let go
from the company for four months.
“I filed my complaint because of what I have seen and heard in my
market,” he said. “You hear it so much that you get numb to it. They
preach that dream to you so much at Apple. Then I tried to move up the
ladder. And nothing happened. I watched people around me who did less
work getting promoted and none of them were black. The last straw was
when my manager destroyed my chances of moving up.”
Prior to filing the complaint, Dupree claims that he tried to raise
the issue of discrimination with his superiors but after allegedly not
receiving any response he sent an email directly to Apple CEO Tim Cook,
which he has provided to Radar.PHOTOS: Steve Jobs Through The Years
Sent on August 28, 2013, the email allegedly shows Dupree writing to
Cook requesting a meeting to discuss his transfer situation.
Dupree told Radar that a meeting was set up between Dupree and two members of the Human Resources department for mid-September.
They arranged a conference call that finally took place in October
2013 and during the call Dupree says he raised his concerns about his
manager prohibiting him from obtaining a management position and his
“concerns in dealing with” them.PHOTOS: Apple’s Tribute To Steve Jobs
“Before I left for Australia she had made several insensitive
comments about minorities that was not related to work but nonetheless
hurtful,” Dupree allegedly told the HR team during the conversation.
“I’ve heard her referencing Justin Timberlake having more talent than
other R&B artists and it pissed her off that black artists say he
stole their style of music and that he’s so popular because he’s a white
artist doing black music,” he claimed.
He continued, allegedly telling the HR team that the manager’s
statements about race bothered him and made him believe that he had no
opportunity for a promotion because they “commented that black employees
don’t reach management in this market.”You Can Sue For That? The 53 Wackiest Lawsuits
But he claims his comments were ignored.
“The main thing that drew me to Apple was the promise of a great
company, a great career and I wanted to make a bigger difference,”
Dupree told Radar.
He claims that after his time off, he was hired back by Apple in
December 2013, but he was denied a managerial position yet again, and
that is what prompted him to file the complaint with the Florida
Commission on Human Relations.The 17 Highest Paid Media Figures On TV
“Apple said ‘Give us results’ and I would do that and go above and
beyond, but there was always an excuse or technicality of why I couldn’t
be promoted,” he said. “I thought I was doing ten times more than
anyone else and I wasn’t being promoted.”
Dupree told Radar that he couldn’t stand by any longer and feel like
Apple was discriminating against him because of the color of his skin,
and having everyone, including CEO Cook ignore the alleged racism.
“It was like making the all-star team, coming down to the D league
and then being told you’re not good enough,” he said. “I gave them the
opportunity to end it. There was no more talking for me at this point,
it’s just action.”